it is high noon in the east. 9:00 a.m. in the west. welcome to "weekends with alex witt." here's some of the first five stories trending at this hour. tornado survival stories. politics and super tuesday's new polls. scarlet y scarl scarlett johansson ap. rush limbaugh apology. a crucial speech by president obama today before the american/israel public affairs conference in d.c. wrapping up his speech a short time ago. he began by emphasizing the united states ' unwavering commitment to israel. >> as you examine my commitment, you don't just have to count on

my words. you can look at my deeds. because over the last three years as president of the united states, i have kept my commitments to the state of israel. at every crucial juncture, at every fork in the road, we have been there for israel every single time. whenever an effort is made to de-legitimize the state of israel my administration opposed them. so will should not be a shred of doubt by now. the chips are down, i have israel's back. i believe that peace with the palestinians is consistent with israel's founding values. because of our shared belief in self-determination, because israel's place as a jewish and democratic state must be protected. >> the president that addressed

the controversy surrounding iran's nuclear program. >> no israeli government can tolerate a nuclear weapon in the hands of a regime that denies the holocaust, threatens to wipe israel off the map and sponsors terrorist groups committed to israel's disruption. a nuclear armed iran is completely counter to israel's security interests. but it is also counter to the national security interests of the united states. >> the president said that he's keeping all options open, though, when dealing with iran. >> i firmly believe that an opportunity still remains for diplomacy backed by pressure to succeed. but both israel and the united states have an interest in seeing this challenge resolved diplomatically. when it comes to preventing iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, i will take no options off the table. and i mean what i say. that includes all elements of

american power. >> joining me now is chief washington correspondent and writer for "the new york times," john hardwood. patricia murphy, contributor for "newsweek" and "the daily beast." i'm glad you are both here. >> happy sunday, alex. >> and to you. and you. all right. here we go. john, did the president say anything that might suggest a greater willingness to consider military action against iran? or did he say just the opposite? >> no. he -- he -- tried to emphasize the point that even though he is trying diplomatic action now he prefers not to do military action. he's not taking it off the table. he did that in the interview the other day where he said president of the united states, israel knows i don't bluff. that's why he repeated in that speech today "i mean what i say." the difference republicans are trying to cast between their stance and his is that he's trying diplomacy and military action really isn't on the table. he's trying to say yes, it is. which does not mean he's got to act. it means he has to persuade them

he is serious. >> patricia, what are the circumstances under which iran could be the big campaign issue by november? do you see it as happening? >> well, you know, obviously something like had a would be based completely on what iran does and -- we have seen so many presidential elections come down to an event that nobody anticipated. that could be one of those events. we are starting to hear quite a bit of talk the president called it loose talk but talk about war with iran, we heard rumors israel may be considering strikes against iran to stop their nuclear enrichment program so it could absolutely become a key issue as we get towards november elections. that's a danger and why the president is coming out and saying very, very strongly do not listen to what republicans have r saying. i am not weak on iran. that has been their charge. he is saying i'm strong on iran. i will be there for israel. >> i was just going to say -- i think that you -- got to keep in mind the distinction between an issue and the issue. i think it is highly unlikely given the state of the economy, when we have been through, the

long road still ahead of us, and that anything will displace economic conditions and americans feelings about their economic futures as the dominant issue of the election. however, as patricia just said, we cannon anticipate -- put this squarely in the center of the dial sxog can be something iran does or something israel does. >> yeah, i know you make a very good point there. and versus the issue. what about -- i mean, look, no easy issues what i will ask you here, at the white house what is the debate will? is there a sense military action is inevitable? >> i don't think so at all. that's why the president has taken the course he has. i think the administration believes that the sanctions they are putting on iran are having a serious effect and that's why you have gotten some of the -- from the regime. this is a very difficult problem. there are no easy answers to this. if there were the bush administration would have deterred iran or prevented iran from getting a nuclear weapon. the united states has got to

count on something that may not look as dramatic or -- that at least is the judgment of this administration. they are counting on something that doesn't look as dramatic as military strike but might be more effective in the long run. >> patricia, what's your ultimate takeaway from the speech? >> my biggest takeaway was that the president was putting himself forward and defending his own record honor on. there have been all kinds of charges from the republicans that he's not strong enough. i was struck by how strongly he came out and really to assert his own commitment to israel and what he's said has been -- an unprecedented effort for israel on his part. he really minced no words. he is pushing it back against the republican was that speech much more strongly than i expected him to. >> we are going to switch gear as second. here we go, front page politics now. two days to super tuesday. new poll numbers in the key state of ohio. the nbc maris poll shows rick santorum with a two-point edge over romney. newt gingrich is third there. ron paul coming in fourth. romney scores another win ahead

of super tuesday placing first in saturday's washington state caucuses. ron paul came in second, edging out santorum. newt gingrich finishing a distant fourth. nbc news has also learned today romney campaign will begin robo calls in ohio featuring barbara bush. on today's "meet the press" house majority leader eric cantor announced his endorsement of romney. meanwhile, new line of attack from the romney camp against santorum saying santorum is not ready for prime time. the comment stems from santorum's inability to file complete slates of delegates in ohio. santorum responded. >> you know -- >> giving you a hard time. >> yeah, that's okay. if that's the only thing that they find is a problem with my candidacy we are in pretty good shape. i'm not worried about it at all. >> rush limbaugh issued an apology to sandra fluke for

using derogatory terms. in a post on his website limbaugh said my choice of words was not the best p and attempt to be humorous i created a national stir. i sincerely apologize to miss fluke for the insulting word choices. so we are back right now with john hardwood and patricia murphy as we address this, what's your reaction to rush limbaugh's apology? is this a real apology or driven from lose something sponsorships? >> i think it was absolutely driven by lose something sponsorships. he lost six. apologizing did not prevent him from losing more sponsors. i was interested one sponsor said i have two daughters the same age as sandra fluke. commentary i can't abide by and can't support. i'm sure rush limbaugh was getting maybe some behind-the-scenes suggestions that he jumped off a cliff and taking the republican party with him. absolute there sponsor orships were the bottom line. >> do you think the incident has damaged the gop and do you think

it is oar now with his apology? >> no. it is not over. it has damaged the gop. it damaged limbaugh. i have to say, alex, if somebody -- somebody that liked the ceo has two daughters approximately the same age as sandra nuclear you can't let that pass without saying it is repulsive and disgusting. i know rush limbaugh is out to make a lot of money and get a lot of people listening to his radio program but you have got to wonder at some point how somebody can look in the mirror when they say stuff like that about somebody else's child and then who they don't even know. >> good point. patricia, mitt romney is celebrating another victory this morning, winning washington state caucuses yesterday. how big of a win is this for him? >> well, you know, in terms of tell gates and race, not that big. the headline wanting to go into super tuesday it is huge. he did not want another rick santorum effort to take back his momentum. i think going into super tuesday sets him up where he wants to be. very important in terms of the message he wants. >> john, give me an idea of how

you see super tuesday playing out? what will it mean going forward? >> i think everything comes down to the state of ohio. rick santorum needs to find a way to hurt mitt romney in an important state in a way he has not been able to do so. we have seen these polls, including the nbc maris poll that romney has been coming back strongly against an earlier santorum lead. if he can win the state of ohio, rapidly it will become clear to everybody in the republican party and most people around the country that there is nobody else than mitt romney that can win the nomination and i think things may fall together into place for romney sooner than we think now. >> similar read for you, patricia? >> yes. absolutely. oh, for some reason the country comes down to ohio and florida. looks like it is coming down to ohio right now. it doesn't have the most delegates, georgia has the most delegates on super tuesday. it does have the coalition of fiscal conservatives, social conservatives, and midwestern west belt conservatives. that's the entire party that

this -- those are the groups this pear wants to appeal to if romney can appeal to those, big win there, i think john is exactly right as usual. he knows his stuff better than anybody. that's when he starts to close the door. walk away from the rest of the field and start getting ready for november. >> i have to go but you mentioned georgia. can i ask you whether you think newt gingrich will take that state where he campaigned so hard in his home state? >> polls show that he has a substantial lead. rick santorum campaign went to georgia late last week. i was with rick santorum, interviewed him there. they steam to think they could score an upset. every publication is that newt gingrich is in good shape but just winning his home state isn't going to be enough to put him back in the thick of the race. >> patricia, do you think he wins? >> yes. i'm down here in georgia. it still feels like gingrich country all these years later. >> john hardwood, patricia murphy, many thanks. after tuesday the campaign calendar continues to seven other contests across the country. primary season will continue

through june. does rush limbaugh's apology end the discussion? here are your tweets. ashton for politics tweets if russia apologized on his show rather than on the weekend maybe without it have kiboshed the discussion. his response seemed to be at that time the cost of doing business after losing nearly half a dozen sponsors in 36 hours. mike says -- no. our society does way too much dehumanizing women and if we don't stand against this it will continue happening. it wasn't an apology. it was a plea designed to appease advertisers so they don't pull their monetary support. keep talking. we are loving are your tweets. i will be reading some more of them later on. let's go now to the nation's midwest. another day after the storms. more stories of both sadness and survival there in all 37 people died from the second outbreak of tornadoes in this past week. this is home video here giving us our first look at one of the tornadoes that destroyed parts of southern indiana. some who survive reasonable doubt reliving the horror while others are reaching out to help their neighbors.

>> once there is a sense of order it is easier to heal. when it is so crazy messy it is just -- overwhelming. it is just too hard. emotionally to be able to function. >> whole entire life, 27 years, my wife, my daughters is gone. i have people -- helping us look for stuff. >> your house picked up and moved. >> yes. oz." costello is live in indiana. i will tell you, if only "wizard of oz." that would have just been fable, just a story. alex. marysville, indiana. that gentleman that talked about his whole life is strewn about the field. take a look behind me. this is the heartwarming thing i would say, you know, for those of us that cover disasters, america always does this. it always agents very quickly. take a look behind me. 24 hours or a little more than 24 hours later, you now have

heavy machinery that moved in. there's nothing left of marysville, indiana. walk over here. i found this particularly heartwarming. this pile here, this pile, is somebody's house. a woman lived here alone and -- older woman lived here alone. she survived because she wasn't in there. but all around -- now, you might be able to see folks over there, folks on the other side, a gentleman here, these are complete strangers, complete strangers that have shown up to help pick up this town. i talked to one gentleman who came from chicago. he says we don't know anybody here. no family here but people need help. we are going to show up and try to pick up whatever we can and whether it is a bugel or i saw somebody had family photos and pajamas. you name it. a pot. they are picking up what they can salvage so that somebody can try to rebuild their lives. as you can see this lady lost

nearly every single earthly possession she has here. thank god she has her life. that's the way it is across southern indiana. as you know the string of tornadoes has gone down probably think the fifth deadliest in the last 50 to 60 years or so. category or ef-4 storm, 175-mile-per-hour winds, this the reason there is a rush on to expecting a winter storm, three inches. it is bitterly cold here. tom. incredible pictures and stories. thanks for sharing it with us. we appreciate it. at the bottom of the hour we will check in with jim cantore

of the weather channel. he will give us context as only he and the weather channel team can tell us how destructive this storm was. rick santorum, what happens if he does not winnow owe on tuesday. ♪[music plays] ♪[music plays] ♪[music plays] purina one beyond. food for your cat or dog. the calcium they take

because they don't take it with food. switch to citracal maximum plus d. it's the only calcium supplement that can be taken with or without food. that's why my doctor recommends citracal maximum. it's all about absorption. ♪ feel the power my young friend. mmm! [ male announcer ] for excellent fruit and veggie nutrition... v8 v-fusion, also refreshing plus tea. could've had a v8. [ male announcer ] for our town.

[ dog barks ] for our country. ♪ for our future. ♪ this isn't just the car we wanted to build. it's the car america had to build. ♪ the extended range electric chevy volt. from the heart of detroit to the health of the country, chevy runs deep.

hundreds will pay tribute to martin luther king's march. the crossing of the selma bridge. today is not just about honoring today's history. perry bacon jr. is joining me

from selma. perry, good to see you. >> good to see you, alex. >> let's talk about what 2012 bridge crossing jubilee is all about. >> reporter: so today is -- we are at brown chapel which is in selma, alabama. marches of the 1960s and 1965 started. organizers, including al sharpton and jesse jackson want to start here. the laws that passed over the last year. they are trying to draw in between those laws and laws of the '60s restricted voting rights and want to raise attention to those laws through this protest. >> okay. so about how many folks do you expecting there and what are the big challenges in putting together a big event like this? >> you know, they are talking about several hundred people participating in the overall five days of the event. it is not clear how many people are there today. they are talking about by -- several hundred over the five-day period from starting today and through friday.

>> we want to point out to the viewers here between 50-mile journey. what kind of accommodations get made for the organizers and participants along the route there and are people planning to camp out? >> reporter: yes. people are planning to camp out some of these days as well. there are certain stops they have for them to camp out along the way on this trail. they are trying to -- have ten miles of marching each day. 50-mile distance from selma to montgomery. >> well, we are going to talk again next hour and see more about logistics and see if people can join in if they are hearing about it now. have you hold that thought and see you in a bit. thanks. we are going to be speak with one of the march organizers and host of msnbc's politics nation, reverend al sharpton. my conversation with him is coming up at the bottom of the hour. now number three on our first five web stories. scarlett johansson. set to take on the role of janet leigh in the new pick "making of

psycho." it shows what happened behind the scenes of the iconic film. anthony hopkins with play director alfred hitchcock. energy crisis hitting americans in the wallet with the rising gas prices. prices have gone up for the 26th straight day. according to aaa, the national average price of a gallon of gas regular is $3.77. a month ago $3.47. a year ago $3.49. too high no matter how you look at it. [ male announcer ] speramus meliora; resurget cineribus.

we hope for better things, it will rise from the ashes. that's the motto of our fair city and from that city comes a car with something to prove. a car with a refined suspension and one of the most elegant designs of any car in its class. this is the motor city and this is what we do. chocolate lemonade ? susie's lemonade... the movie. or... we make it pink ! with these 4g lte tablets, you can do business at lightning-fast speeds. we'll take all the strawberries, dave. you got it, kid. we have a winner. we're definitely gonna need another one. small businesses that want to grow use 4g lte technology from verizon. i wonder how she does it. that's why she's the boss. because the small business with the best technology rules. contact the verizon center for customers with disabilities at 1-800-974-6006. i remember the day my doctor told me i have an irregular heartbeat,

and that it put me at 5-times greater risk of a stroke. i was worried. i worried about my wife, and my family. bill has the most common type of atrial fibrillation, or afib. it's not caused by a heart valve problem. he was taking warfarin, but i've put him on pradaxa instead. in a clinical trial, pradaxa 150 mgs reduced stroke risk 35% more than warfarin without the need for regular blood tests. i sure was glad to hear that. pradaxa can cause serious, sometimes fatal, bleeding. don't take pradaxa if you have abnormal bleeding, and seek immediate medical care for unexpected signs of bleeding, like unusual bruising. pradaxa may increase your bleeding risk if you're 75 or older, have a bleeding condition like stomach ulcers, or take aspirin, nsaids, or bloodthinners, or if you have kidney problems, especially if you take certain medicines. tell your doctor about all medicines you take, any planned medical or dental procedures, and don't stop taking pradaxa without your doctor's approval, as stopping may increase your stroke risk. other side effects include indigestion, stomach pain, upset, or burning.

pradaxa is progress. if you have afib not caused by a heart valve problem, ask your doctor if you can reduce your risk of stroke with pradaxa. quick edition of number one starting off with the ipad. analysts expect ipad sales to reach 100 million by the end of the year. bestselling tablet will get a boost when apple introduce as new ipad wednesday.

che fancy pants hit the top of the charts in a matter of days. the flash game was a hit online and played over 100 million times. >> what's up, bro? >> don't ever do that to me again. >> that's a scene from "the descendants." modest success at the box office last fall but february's top ranked movie in hotels for a second straight month. "twilight" ranked second. "jack and jill" and "we bought a zoo" completing the top five. >> ow! okay. >> it is a screen. it is a hit. full disclosure made by our sister company. deadline.com says it is on pace to win the weekend box office with a take of more than $70 million. it would be the most successful doctor dr. seuss film ever. those are your number ones. we will be back. ing like that. i look fine. just a little trouble

with a bargain brand cooking spray. i told you like a gajillion times to use new and improved pam. it's 70% better than that bargain stuff. see? look i gotta go. pam helps you like pull it off. your finances can't manage themselves. but that doesn't mean they won't try. bring all your finances together with the help of the one person who can. a certified financial planner professional. cfp. let's make a plan.

to find you a great deal, even if it's not with us. [ ding ] oh, that's helpful! well, our company does that, too. actually, we invented that. it's like a sauna in here. helping you save, even if it's not with us -- now, that's progressive! call or click today. no mas pantalones! one chance to hunt down the right insurance at the right price. the "name your price" tool, only from progressive. ready, aim, save! grrr! ooh, i forgot my phone! the "name your price" tool. now available on your phone. get a free quote today.

let me get that door for you... [ man ] i loved my first car... sometimes the door gets stuck... oh sure. ooh! [ man ] ...and then, i didn't. um... [ sighs ] [ man ] so, i got a car i can love a really, really long time. [ male announcer ] for the road ahead, the all-new subaru impreza. ♪ experience love that lasts.

welcome back to "weekends with alex witt." the tool is 37 dead after the severe outbreak of storms there. estimated 67 tornadoes. crews and residents are spending a second day cleaning up massive tornado mess there. volunteers are taking time to assist neighbors in need. >> i'm distributing water and getting food from local businesses and feed the volunteers and make sure people are fed at the shelters and -- everything we can. >> this is a very gracious, generous, loving community. yes. >> we are glad to have the weather channel's jim cantore on the ground for news henryville, indiana. jim, to you. >> reporter:al i, scenes like this all over henryville. for that matter all over southern indiana. northern kentucky and southern ohio today. many other states. welfare with tornado reports. scott the gentleman that owns the house, they are trying to

get debris out of the driveway here. they actually have to have the car clear for the insurance adjuster to be able to see his car. amazingly enough. trying to get a lot of the stuff out of the way. let me take you back to the home. this is an amazing situation here. we have a home where the roof was ripped off here and there was really no safe haven except for one place. let me show you. closet. people, you know, at last minute want to take refuge. the closet would have been the safe place here. it is no guarantee this could have easily come through here as it is sitting out in through here. the good news is home owner and family left three, four minutes before the tornado. they are all safe and that's the bottom line. scenes like this, that's where we are finding today across southern indiana and northern kentucky and southern ohio and nine other states that dealt with these vicious storms. back to you. >> extraordinary story. thanks, jim cantore. for more expert analysis on the impact of the powerful storm system head over to the weather channel on cable or check it out at weather.com online. strategy talk now.

latest nbc news/maris polls are out today and show president obama taking a strong lead against the gop candidates in both ohio and virginia. in ohio, president obama's closest competitor is ron paul who about ten points behind there. while in virginia mitt romney is the closest but still 17 points behind the president. joining me is john, former communications director under president clinton. gentlemen, good afternoon. thank you for being here. >> good to be with you. >> ken, i will begin with you. before we worry about the general election these candidates have to get through super tuesday. who do you think will be the big winner that day? >> professionally speaking, i think it will be romney. i think he will probably winnow owe and he -- he might win the popular vote by a squeak. but he will win the mum of delegates substantially because santorum comes in with a 30%

deficit. >> okay. i just want to quickly go to ohio with you because you mentioned mitt romney. he is a couple of points behind rick santorum. are you thinking the momentum will put him over the top? >> i think -- i think the momentum will put him over the top. i think people understanding that he is better organized in ohio, will make a -- will make a difference. santorum is running real strong in the southwestern part of the state. but in the middle of the state, romney is coming on strong. again, think think he will squeak out a win in the popular vote and he will win substantially the number of delegates. >> okay. don, you went through a tough re-election campaign with president clinton. what loans can president obama's team, campaign team there, learn from that victory? >> the biggest lesson is that while the other side is fighting the way it seems to be fighting now in dash really sort of

heading into oblivion, the best thing the president and his team can do do the job of the presidency. work hard to show the country that you are delivering and still performing in the office, getting the job done. whether it is working on foreign policy as president obama is doing this week with regard to iran and showing his support for israel, or more importantly, continuing to work on the economy. showing that there -- doing what they can to bring about sustainable growth for the economy and jobs. the best thing is just be president and do the job. >> yeah. don the current heated political climate is often compared to the mid 1990s. you were in the trenches then. do you see the similarities where we were then and now? >> will are some similarities. someone i know well said about a month ago that it looked like the choice for the republicans was between romney or suicide. no one expected them to actually choose romney and suicide. you know, they now put themselves in a position where maybe romney is going to be able

to eke out victories in places like ohio, maybe not. keep on the pathway towards some sort of nomination victory here or maybe not. but at the same time, they are throwing into the fray all of these issues that distract people away from what everyone knows is the most important set of issues now. which is the economy. sustainable economic growth. jobs. why they are not talking about why their plans are better the president's plans, i don't know understand. but it is similar to what we face because it opened the way for president clinton to really focus in and show people while he was the best person to lead the country forward for the future on top of what the -- he will already accomplished in his first term. >> do you think it will be more difficult for a democratic president to beat mitt romney than it was for president clinton to beat bob dole? >> not necessarily. i think that -- look, in some way it is situations are very different. the economic circumstances that we have lived through in the last few years, certainly worse than they were even in the '90s that we were coming out of a

recession. a lot more uncertainty even though then people were still not believing we were on the right track until we got to the fall election. and -- lot of that had to do with how we had positioned the president and the president's own point of view and -- campaigning. so -- it is similar. i think that this is going to be a close election. i think everyone still believes it will be a close election. but every day that goes by, the republicans seem to be putting themselves in a worse position rather than in a more advantageous position. >> i think that this is going to be more like for the democrats, it is going to be more like a -- bush structured win in 2004. i think the president will drive up his base and he will hope for a depressed and disorganized republican base. i actually don't think he will win it with independents. i think he will win it if he wins it with a superior turnout of his selected targeted voter groups and democratic base.

so at the end of the day and in 2004, everybody said bush had lost independents. rove and bush won it with a greater turnout of the republican base to -- anybody had anticipated and i think that -- the president and his team have taken a page out of that book. >> can i add to what you are speculating? do you also believe that where president obama to win in november would be in part because of a brutal gop primary season? do you think they beat each other up? >> well, no. look, primaries are a part of the political process, nobody got any more brutal than the obama/clinton battle in wait. i think in the final analysis it will come down to a base turnout strategy. the republicans have to get their act together.

understand that right now the independent vote is still up for grabs and win it. we can't be deterred from the -- slow recovery of the president's economic strategy and as a consequence, i think that if we are focused on jobs, economic growth, limiting the intrusion of government in our lives, we can -- we can -- we will see a republican win. >> but -- john, you know, we have seen the gop candidates battle it out for who is more conservative. do you think president obama would attract the more moderate republican voters that they may have left behind? >> i think -- ken is right. this is all up for grabs. the independent voters are where it is going to be. it is up for grabs. independents and candidly the base also. both bases are most concerned about the economy. and where the future growth is going to come from, how we are going to move ourselves on a glide path that actually works with this country again, and -- neither party has shown us

definitively how we will get that done. instead we had a lot of fighting frankly over extraneous issues. why the republicans have allowed themselves to go down this track of talking about contraception, things that rush limbaugh is now being criticized for having done this past week, it is beyond me. i think that if you -- you know, historians may look back at this period late february, early march of 2012 and say we must have reached the end of the recession during that period because the republicans stopped talking about the economy. so it must mean that they don't care any more. i think that it is critically important for both parties to get back to these issues because these are the most important ones we face now and it also will be the smartest political move for them. >> all right. great conversation, guys. thanks so much. >> thank you. >> get ready for a history lesson. we have office politics with dan rather. he will tell me all about his presidential interviews, that's every president since dwight eisenhower. plus, how being a texan helped shape his career. [ male announcer ] at scottrade,

we believe the more you know, the better you trade. so we have ongoing webinars and interactive learning, plus, in-branch seminars at over 500 locations, where our dedicated support teams help you know more so your money can do more. [ rodger ] at scottrade, seven dollar trades are just the start. our teams have the information you want when you need it. it's another reason more investors are saying... [ all ] i'm with scottrade. the other office devices? they don't get me. they're all like, "hey, brother, doesn't it bother you that no one notices you?" and i'm like, "doesn't it bother you you're not reliable?"

and they say, "shut up!" and i'm like, "you shut up." in business, it's all about reliability. 'cause these guys aren't just hitting "print." they're hitting "dream." so that's what i do. i print dreams, baby. [whispering] big dreams. tle emotional hetlretl?tl aren't you getting a little industrial? okay, there's enough energy right here in america. yeah, over 100 years worth. okay, so you mean you just ignore the environment. actually, it's cleaner. and, it provides jobs. and it helps our economy. okay, i'm listening. [announcer] at conoco phillips we're helping power america's economy with cleaner affordable natural gas... more jobs, less emissions, a good answer for everyone. so, by reducing the impact of production... and protecting our land and water... i might get a job once we graduate. without the stuff that we make here, you wouldn't be able to walk in your house and flip on your lights. [ brad ] at ge we build turbines that power the world.

they go into power plants which take some form of energy, harness it, and turn it into more efficient electricity. [ ron ] when i was a kid i wanted to work with my hands, that was my thing. i really enjoy building turbines. it's nice to know that what you're building is gonna do something for the world. when people think of ge, they typically don't think about beer. a lot of people may not realize that the power needed to keep their budweiser cold and even to make their beer comes from turbines made right here. wait, so you guys make the beer? no, we make the power that makes the beer. so without you there'd be no bud? that's right. well, we like you. [ laughter ] ♪

more now on president obama's speech to aipac. today the president warned iran will not be allowed to develop an atomic bomb. >> iran's leaders should understand do i not have a policy of containment. i have a policy to prevent iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. >> well, the president will be meeting tomorrow because israeli prime minist steister binyamin netanyahu. hey to you, joe. do you think this is the most hard-lined position iran the president has taken? >> well, the rhetoric has sharpened the last few days and directed it as israel to assure them that the u.s. has their back. the language about the containment strategy is not an

option. talking about channeling, you know, teddy roosevelt saying we will speak softly but care yea big stick. words are a much sharper and i think it is really to explain to israel that, you know, you don't have to be in a hurry to attack these iranians. we have your back and time for sanctions to work. let's, you know, let's let diplomacy play out and let's also be aware we have other tools here at our dispose zblal when you think about the possible bill of an attack, how soon and how likely is that? >> this is what the israelis are concerned about. they would like to see very clear red lines. that's what the president will be talking to netanyahu about at the white house. they would like to see clarity about when it is time for a military strike. as the president said iran hasn't committed to making a nuclear weapon yet and we have capabilities and other things we can do over the next few weeks and months to prevent them from taking that step.

you know the clarity is not there yet. israelis will have to see more. >> given had israeli president perez said having spoken to aipac also earlier today, israel is not rushing into war. iran must not be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon. how long do you think they are going to hold off? >> the israelis look at this in a very different way because right now they think they have an opportunity to unilaterally strike iran and sit backing the program. window for doing that is closing because iran is moving its nuclear program into deep bunkers underground when it is harder to get them and so they are concerned if we wait a few more months, another year, may be too late for them to strike. very weighty decision for israeli leaders and -- very much focusing on that question is when they take that action. >> what are the best assessments of fallout? were the israelis to take a strike? >> it is -- right now it seems like it is the world against iran and if israel acts unilaterally there is danger you see the arabs and n a study that can't support the israeli strike against iran.

may be against it. same is true for some of our europeanal ice and the u.s. worked very hard to create you coalition where have you countries from around the world working in concert to try to stop iran and through economic pressure and political pressure and if there is -- premature strike in the u.s. administration's view, then that could be disruptive and start from scratch. >> when you wrote earlier in "the washington post" earlier this week iran's sights are not impregnable but you said they will be moving everything underground, does that make them unable to be reached at that point? >> well, fortunately the u.s. has options that other countries do not have. we have got -- bunker busters that may not be able to reach these really deep undermountain caverns irans have been building but ability to certainly destroy opportunity else and disrupt electric power systems and these are very sensitive systems, too. nuclear equipment can be damaged just in shock waves alone and one pentagon official said this week, you don't want to be anywhere close to the mountain when the u.s. does decide to attack it. and again, the point of sit just to say we have time.

we can take action and stop this program and push it back for years. let's let diplomacy work. >> okay. many thanks. as always, jeremy. >> thank you. exit polls show prime minister putin has won today's presidential election in russia. opposition and independent observers claim that there were thousands of voting violations. a massive protest rally planned important moscow for tomorrow. putin was president from 2000 to 2008. ♪ baby baby seven years ago jessie and greg bought a run-down staten island movie multiplex. that couldn't compete with the big chains. they upgraded with new seating, state of the art technology and lobby renovations. the atrium is one of the few remaining independent complex necessary the new york city area. for more watch "your business"

sunday mornings at 7:30. announg that flu all over your body? immerse yourself in all over relief with alka seltzer plus. it's specially formulated to speed relief to every inch of you. liquidate your flu symptoms with alka seltzer plus. you can't argue with nutrition you can see. great grains. great grains cereal starts whole and stays whole. see the seam? more processed flakes look nothing like natural grains. i'm eating what i know is better nutrition. mmmm. great grains. search great grains and see for yourself. in here, the landscaping business grows with snow. to keep big winter jobs on track, at&t provided a mobile solution that lets everyone from field workers to accounting, initiate, bill, and track work in real time. you can't live under a dome in minnesota, that's why there's guys like me. [ male announcer ] it's a network of possibilities -- helping you do what you do... even better.

♪

fuel prices are have risen the 26th straight day. i'm sure i don't have to tell you that. aaa reports the national average price of gasoline is $3.76 per gallon which is up 2% from just over a week ago. up over 8.5% from last month. looking at hawaii, ouch. it has the highest average price at $4.37 per gallon. the lucky residents of wyoming

are paying the very least, that's just $3.20 a gallon. prices are still below the record high set in july 2008. little relief for consumers fearing even higher prices in the summer driving season. let's talk right now with the expert on oil. tom, publisher and chief analyst of the oil price information service. hey, glad to have you here. >> nice to be here. >> with this question, how much longer can we expect gas prices to rise? >> probably a couple of months. very difficult for prices to move down in march, april. i think we are not going to be going up the pace we have been going up, apocalyptic level. i think we will probably see another 15, 20 cents in march, 15, 20 cents in april. >> apocalyptic level, maybe at that point where consumer demand slows down, drops off, where is that point? >> consumer demand is actually very poor right now. down about 6%, 7% from last we are and we added -- actually the lowest demand since 2000. we have added 30 million cars. now unless everybody is like jay

leno where they don't drive them and keep them in a garage, something else is happening out there. >> how high do you think these things may go, prices? >> $4 to $4.25. >> you don't think $5? >> no. i think $5 is none semonday sen. >> we saw something interesting in the president's and republican party's weekly address that happened yesterday. let's take a listen to some of what was said there. >> there's no shortcut to taking control of our energy future. we have to pursue an all of the above strategy that helps develop every source of american energy. we have to do it now. >> the reality is prices will only climb higher if we don't take action now to improve our energy security and develop our own natural resources. republicans are ready to continue moving forward with an all of the above energy plan. and we hope the president will

live up to his rhetoric. hard-working taxpayers can't wait to have the pain at the pump address. >> tom, while their messages are -- i mean, look who is to blame. they may not agree on. their messages are similar. do you think that the high prices have driven the parties together politically on this issue? >> no. i think they have driven them apart. i think -- you know, we are actually drilling more and refining more oil in north america than we have at any point in the last 25 years. and we will continue to do that. prices which -- the production and some of the exploration higher. now -- you can talk about keystone and some of those issues down the road. they may impact things in the decade but not something that impacts anything right away. simple reality is that there are tens of millions of people in the world who are moving from poverty and sustenance into middle class and need fuel for transportation and agriculture. that's what's driving global demand. >> i know you wrote earlier in the year you expected to see gas

prices go to under $3 a gallon in the back half of 2012. do you still think that's possible? >> i think it is possible. if other countries -- there raes -- this notion that only the united states sees demand destruction when we go above a certain level. everybody else in in the world can pay $5, $6, $7 a gallon. when you get above $125 globally where prices are now on the overseas markets i think you start to see demand destruction on a global level. developing countries, seasoned countries, europe, japan, whatever. i think that we are -- we are pushing the golden goose envelope right now. >> okay. good to have you on. >> nice to be here nfrmts today's "then and now," troubled times for the daily newspaper. on this day in 1978, "nbc nightly news" reported the story of how the chicago daily news became no more. >> this was the last day of publication for the chicago daily news. many of its employees are now out of work. some will join the news sister

paper. there is a bitter element there, too. many workers have been fired to make room. one of those making the move from dwt daily news" the to "the sun times," is tom. chicagoans don't realize what they are losing. >> it is easily one of the test best papers in america today. chicagoans don't know that because chicagoans don't spend that much time reading some of the bad papers find all over this country. in very important cities. >> all these years later the culprits for the industry remain, declining readership and fallinging advertise revenue. pew poll from 2010 found one in four adults read a print paper on any given down, down from 38% four years earlier. principle newspaper ad revenue fell by two-thirds from $60 billion in 2000 to $20 billion in 2011. something that cut my eye, billboard that's striking -- with new yorkers. large rooftop ad for the amc tv hit "mad men" in mat hannan has

some families of 9/11 victims' families upset. march 25 which is when the new season begins. many 9/11 families say it is a painful reminder of all those who jumped to their deaths on that day. they are calling for the sign to be removed. as you know, the opening animation of "madman" features a man falling from a building and has been used since the show debuted in 2007. amc released a statement -- the image used in the campaign is intended to serve as a metaphor that's happening in don train draper's fictional life and not real events. the employee of the month isss... the new spark card from capital one. spark miles gives me the most rewards of any small business credit card. the spark card earns double miles... so we really had to up our game. with spark, the boss earns double miles on every purchase, every day. that's setting the bar pretty high.

owning my own business has never been more rewarding. coming through! [ male announcer ] introducing spark the small business credit cards from capital one. get more by choosing unlimited double miles or 2% cash back on every purchase, every day. what's in your wallet? [ woman speaking indistinctly over radio ] home protector plus from liberty mutual insurance... [ alarm blaring ] where the cost to repair your home, replace what's inside, and stay somewhere else if you need to are covered. because you never know what lies around the corner. to learn more, visit libertymutual.com today.

there's another way to minimize litter box odor: purina tidy cats. tidy cats premium line of litters now works harder

to help neutralize odors in multiple-cat homes. and our improved formula also helps eliminate dust. so it's easier than ever to keep your house smelling just the way you want it. purina tidy cats. keep your home smelling like home. are you still sleeping? just wanted to check and make sure that we were on schedule. the first technology of its kind... mom and dad, i have great news. is now providing answers families need. siemens. answers. gathering of the faithful. unity of spirit and hope in the wake of tornado fury. the latest the impact of the twisters next. also ahead, iran, all the

president's options. >> i have said when it comes to preventing iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, i will take no options off the table. i mean what i say. >> taking a friendly approach but how long will the president wait for diplomacy to work? we have a live report straight ahead. regretful rush. cost of conservative radio talker issues a mea culpa. the tug of war over the biggest prize on super tuesday. presidential recollections. dan rather assesses the occupiers of the oval office during his long news career. hello, everyone. welcome to "weekends with alex witt." it is 1:00 here on the east coast. 10:00 a.m. out west. let's get to what's happening now out there for you. you wavering support for israel, unflinching criticism of iran. that was president obama's stance at the committee conference. the president spoke amid rising tensions and increased speculation over whether israel will strike iranian nuclear

facilities. while he vowed the u.s. would pressure iran on nuclear proliferation, the president cautioned against saber rattling. >> now is not time for bluster. now is the time to let our increased pressure sink in and to sustain the broad international coalition we have built. now is the time to heed the timeless advice from teddy roosevelt. speak softly. carry a big stick. >> the president meets with israeli prime minister binyamin netanyahu at the white house tomorrow. nbc's mike viqueira is joining us from there live. a good day to you, mike. >> reporter: hello, alex. >> as we look ahead to tomorrow, how do these comments at the stage -- set the stage for the israeli primary minister and expect to come from that meeting? >> reporter: fascinating. stalks are already high and getting higher. iran by alt accounts is trying to develop a nuclear weapon and israel said there is no way they are going to allow that to

happen and call that an -- a threat. the president said he will not allow that. not only against israel's self-interests and the united states' self-interests and against the interests of every country around the world. here is a little bit more of what he had to say. >> i firmly believe that an opportunity still remains for diplomacy backed by pressure to succeed. both israel and the united states have ain't in seeing this challenge resolved diplomatically. when it comes to prepare emting iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, i will take no options off the table. and i mean what i say. that includes all elements of american power. >> reporter: so the president says he will take no option off the table. he is trying to do two things here, alex. he's trying to reassure israel, trying to reassure israel's b k backers in the united states and keep in mind that the president

is under attack from republicans on the campaign trail for being, quote, timid and weak and mitt romney's words. and today newt gingrich said we are being played for fools by iran on the nuclear issue. he is trying to fight a rear guard action against that as well. the president has this hue-level meeting tomorrow with israel's prime minister and netanyahu. one of the things the president said this morning, warning the talk of war, too much loose talk of war at this point. you heard the president say sanctions are hitting and holding in iran and wants to give them more time to really take a bite out of iran and try to bring that back to the table. try to halt that nuclear weapons program before it is too late because military action, if they don't, it you a pierce today that more inevidentable than ever. >> okay. mike viqueira covering all the bases on this very important topic. thank you, mike. as the president prepares for a sitdown with israeli's prime minister a new gallup poll number suggests is port for israel is strong across all of the political parties. the majority of democrats, independents, republicans, view

israel in a favorable light. palestinian authority follows a close second with iran ranking at the very bottom. mitt romney is celebrating another win today. romney won the republican caucuses in washington state saturday. his fourth win in a row of the gop contests. washington state officials report a high caucus turnout. here are the final results. romney with 38%. ron paul with 25%. battling it out there for second with rick is an tore sxum came in with 24. and newt gingrich finishing last with 10%. brand-new numbers to share with you right now. the nbc news maris poll shows rick santorum with a small lead in ohio and just two days now before super tuesday. mitt romney trails santorum by just two points in that state. followed by newt gingrich and ron paul. as we check out virginia, another super tuesday state, mitt romney and ron paul are the only two candidates who qualified to you a pier on the ballot. romney has a 69% to 26% edge over paul there. 11 states holding contest this tuesday with 412 delegates up

for grabs. rush limbaugh apologized for using derogatory language to describe a female law student. limbaugh issued the apology on his website regarding the controversial comments he made against sandra fluke. she testified ploost about the importance of companies providing contraceptive health coverage for employees regardless of religious affiliation. limbaugh's statement reads, quote, my choice of words was not the best. the intent to be humorous i created a national stir. i sincerely apologize to miss fluke for the insulting word choices. that apology comes after at least six advertisers pulled their ads from rush limbaugh's radio show. a new endorsement today from mitt romney. house majority leader eric cantor announced on "meet the press" he is supporting romney. aaron mcpipe and amy gardner. thanks for joining me. aaron, let's talk about what i was talking about that nbc

news/poll. romney camp will be -- getting those robo calls today in ohio. feature barbara bush. you are there, aaron. what's the sense on the ground and what's the mood like? >> you know -- the romney campaign says they think rick is an tore sum working really hard in ohio and he is. but that the momentum is now with mitt romney -- rick santorum's lead has been shrinking considerably and now with just two points, the way it is moving it seems that with early voting and what's going to happen on tuesday, it may be that mitt romney can overtake rick santorum by tuesday. still really tight. and rick santorum overperforms just a little bit. sometimes on election day. but you know, if -- if we are looking at trend lines it looks like mitt romney may be able to squeak by rick santorum. >> amy, you wrote about the difficulty romney might have attracting blue collar voters there in ohio. do you think -- based on this

new nbc/maris poll suggests he is making inroads? >> i think what he says is right. momentum is moving in romney's direction. you think the larger question tuesday will sort of answer for us is whether mitt romney can -- can -- create a -- or -- sort of solidify the sense of inevitability he has been seeking and failing to grasp as the nomination process has -- dragged on. and -- you know, obviously a win of ohio, critical state, lots of delegates, also critical swing state in the fall where it will be, you know, not a bad thing to be strong and have a strong organization. ohio will help answer that question. i think whether hay wins or not, the nomination process is far from over. but a win would certainly sort of solidify that sense of inevitability the romney cam subpoena looking for. >> let's talk about newt gingrich who focussing now on heavily on how he would lower gas prices. let's take a listen to what he is saying here. >> we will be able to deal

directly with the saudis and iranians and others without worrying about energy supply. in the process, we would bring the price of oil down. so that -- we set as -- said as a goal gasoline between $2 and $2.50 a gallon. >> i think he's getting traction on the message, yes. now, in terms of how he will perform in ohio, he hasn't been here much. he was here just this weekend. but he has been largely absent. he was in ohio when mitt romney and rick santorum were campaigning earlier in february for colorado and missouri and minnesota. and so newt gingrich got buzz then but this past week, he has been basically camped out in georgia, hoping to win down there and if he does win georgia and gets a large share of those delegates, that's where his campaign thinks they can get another burst of momentum to have newt gingrich come back into maybe not a lead but some sort of surge to make him look like a factor again but here in ohio he is not getting much buzz now. >> you have been covering newt

gingrich. is this newt jousting at the windmills or does this become a real campaign issue? >> well, that's the question. i mean, certainly the gas issue is a resonant one. all the polls say that it is so. we all fill our gas tanks and we are -- we all feel the pinch when the gas price goes up over $4 and approaches $5 a gallon. it is a pocketbook issue and i know that -- speaker gingrich's campaign and, you know, pollsters have shown him that data and to make that case. i think that -- for speaker gingrich, though, the question is whether winning georgia is enough, i mean, polls show that he -- he should win georgia and it would be a shock and a huge defeat for him if he lost georgia. but let's not forget just a couple of weeks ago, newt gingrich was saying he was going to win georgia and tennessee and oklahoma on super tuesday and revised his expectations downward. he was going to be competitive in ohio and as aaron said he has not been there very much and there isn't a lot of buzz there for him. whether winning georgia, only georgia, on tuesday, is enough

to turn the momentum around for speaker gingrich's -- really uncertain at this point p. >> we are going to talk further about rush limb sxwau the situation there a bit later. with the apology, does this pretty much put this -- situation to an end here? >> i think so in part but rush limbaugh always making noise. i'm sure we will hear from him again in this way. it created a bit of a headache for the romney campaign because as you know on friday night, mitt romney said well, it is not the words i would have used. the democrats jumped on that saying that's not enough. why isn't mitt romney saying what he would have said instead? >> amy, based on what aaron is saying erin has said, has this done damage? >> the trick is to distance themselves from what rush limbaugh without alienating his listeners who are a key part of the republican electorate. >> have you very good points as always. we will hear from you later. let's take a look now at the current delegate totals. mitt romney has 119.

newt gingrich has 30. rick santorum has 17 and ron paul has eight. and newt gingrich is today gaes on "meet the press." be sure to watch the entire interview coming up at the end of hour at 2:00 p.m. eastern here on msnbc. let's go now to the midwest. thousands of residents are spending a second day now cleaning up from a tornado outbreak. those storms killed 37 people in kentucky, indiana, alabama, and georgia. a 2-year-old girl was found alone in a remote field. she's suffering from critical injuries. the rest of her family did not survive. and there is new video to share from inside a henry'sville church, bags of belongings and worshipers filled the church. tom costello has more now from nearby marysville, indiana. tom? >> reporter: good afternoon. from maryville, indiana. this town was leveled. i mean leveled. take a look as we scan the horizon here and heavy machinery

has now moved in to maryville, indiana, marysville rather. picking up the pieces as best they can and clear the debris but this is all that's left on people's lives. it is absolutely heartbreaking. as you walk across the landscape, can you see back there? all all the trees have been shredded. it is just unbelievable. every single house has been flattened or so significantly damaged there is no way anybody could move back into the home. this pile, right here in front of me, is somebody's house p. elderly woman who lived there and survived because she was than there at the time. and what's also heart yeping is that complete strangers have shown up to try to pick up the pieces and help people. i'm just going to keep watch -- walking here because i don't want to you get the impression that this is all there is. i mean, this is a 360-degree field of debris and field of isolation. may camera man is just going to keep moving around with me, if

you will. not isolation but decemberlation, as you see. absolutely heartbreaking. take a look at the trees near the satellite truck. shredded. one house there barely standing. but when we say barely, you know, the damage on the back side is so significant, nobody can move in will. that's the way it is across the landscape here. they are hoping that they can get as much of this picked up as they can before the snow tonight. but it is going to be -- they have a lot of work ahead of them. unfortunately, it is just all bad news here except for the fact that in this town, nobody died. i'm tom costello, marysville, indiana. >> thank you so much. in a moment retracing the steps of courage to renew a battle for the right to vote. also ahead, rallying around the nominee, how can the republicans do it after such a bitter primary season? [ rosa ] i'm rosa and i quit smoking with chantix.

when the doctor told me that i could smoke for the first week... i'm like...yeah, ok... little did i know that one week later i wasn't smoking. [ male announcer ] along with support, chantix is proven to help people quit smoking. it reduces the urge to smoke. some people had changes in behavior, thinking or mood, hostility, agitation, depressed mood and suicidal thoughts or actions while taking or after stopping chantix. if you notice any of these stop taking chantix and call your doctor right away. tell your doctor about any history of depression

or other mental health problems, which could get worse while taking chantix. don't take chantix if you've had a serious allergic or skin reaction to it. if you develop these stop taking chantix and see your doctor right away as some can be life-threatening. if you have a history of heart or blood vessel problems, tell your doctor if you have new or worse symptoms. get medical help right away if you have symptoms of a heart attack. use caution when driving or operating machinery. common side effects include nausea, trouble sleeping and unusual dreams. it helps to have people around you... they say, you're much bigger than this. and you are. [ male announcer ] ask your doctor if chantix is right for you.

martin luther king's famous march from selma to montgomery is being brought back to life. not just for the sake of history. joining me once again from selma is msnbc contributor perry bacon jr. welcome back. looks like a sunny day there. is it good weather for the march? >> reporter: good weather for the march, for sure. windy as you can tell behind me. otherwise, very good weather for the march. it will start this afternoon. >> good. that's good to hear. wind may cool things off. let's talk about the mood as they get out to head out on the

march? >> reporter: people are looking forward to -- talking about tissue a lot. lot of talk about voting rights and voter i.d. laws. laws that passed in wisconsin and democrats feel like they are intended to restrict voting rights from minorities and also young people. >> it is all about raising public awareness, right? i mean, you are well aware, steeped in d.c. politics there, perry, i mean, you know how long it takes to make things happen although sometimes there can be a trigger and ignites something and then gets done. is that what you are hoping this does? >> reporter: exactly. i think when -- big reverend sharpton and others organizing this, they really want more attention to it, they also want to get people to think about filing lawsuits and some of these states and also overturning some of these laws even before the election. but -- ultimately they came to that they want to make sure people register properly to vote. right now they are in the public

information stage of this process. that's where y they are trying to have rallies all over this -- all over the -- on this march. have rallies, draw attention to this issue. >> yeah. as you were explaining to us, 50-mile journey, over five days about ten miles a day on average. granted, perry, climate of the country changed tremendous amount from 1965 until now. however, it is still a long haul for a lot of folks. what kind of precautions are being taken along the way? >> reporter: they have campsites marked out for people to -- water and fad at various parts. they are going ten miles and just like a long distance but not -- this is pretty seasonably good weather as well. it is not a huge health concern that i heard. they have not discussed that. health concerns that much for that reason, i think. >> yeah. can you give me a sense of who it is that's going to be doing the march? is this multi-generational or sort of a certain demographic? >> reporter: you know, most people i talked to have been

older and have done marches like this before. people i talked to here have been in their 50s and 60s. reverend sharpton, john lewis, jesse jackson, all -- older folks as well. that's mostly who is -- may change defend which part of the march it is. it is a five-day process and will pick up people -- during parts as they go forward over the five days. >> yeah. that may the age of reverend sharpton but that guy has the energy of an 18-year-old. >> that guy has energy. exactly right. >> i know. we will be talking to him in a bit. still ahead, big prize in the buckeye state. romney and santorum are neck and neck in the poll. who has the edge in the early ohio voting? ok, guys-- what's next ? chocolate lemonade ? susie's lemonade... the movie. or... we make it pink ! with these 4g lte tablets, you can do business at lightning-fast speeds. we'll take all the strawberries, dave. you got it, kid. we have a winner. we're definitely gonna need another one.

small businesses that want to grow use 4g lte technology from verizon. i wonder how she does it. that's why she's the boss. because the small business with the best technology rules. contact the verizon center for customers with disabilities at 1-800-974-6006. what ? customers didn't like it. so why do banks do it ? hello ? hello ?! if your bank doesn't let you talk to a real person 24/7, you need an ally. hello ? ally bank. no nonsense. just people sense. living with the pain of moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis... could mean living with joint damage. help stop the damage before it stops you with humira. for many adults with moderate to severe ra, humira's proven to help relieve pain and stop joint damage.

humira can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal events can occur, such as infections, lymphoma, or other types of cancer, blood, liver, and nervous system problems, serious allergic reactions, and new or worsening heart failure. before starting humira, your doctor should test you for tb. ask your doctor if you live or have been to a region where certain fungal infections are common. tell your doctor if you have had tb, hepatitis b, are prone to infections, or have symptoms such as fever, fatigue, cough, or sores. you should not start humira if you have any kind of infection. ask your rheumatologist how you can defend against and help stop further joint damage with humira.

uhh! [ alyson ] just keep walking... ♪ oh, come on! ♪ ugh, again! [ sniffs ] that's what i'm talkin' about. [ female announcer ] new head & shoulders green apple, with an enticing scent. works on the scalp for up to 100% flake-free hair that's irresistibly fragrant. [ both laugh ] [ female announcer ] new head & shoulders green apple. look at times square. new poll showing americans are

hurting from the rising gas prices. 38% say that the price hike has caused them serious financial hardship. 29% say that it caused some financial hardship and 32% are weighing in not yet. we are counting down to super tuesday as rick santorum, mitt romney, newt gingrich and ron paul are battling for more than 400 delegates, including key states like ohio where the race has gotten very tight. on fox news sunday this morning, santorum maintained optimism about his chances on tuesday. >> we are the ones that are dash the alternative, clear alternative, and, you know, eventually hopefully this race settles out and will get a chance to go one-on-one. once that happens, we feel very comfortable we are going to win this thing. >> but mr. santorum admit heed would finish second in some states. joining me from washington is the santorum's communications director hogan giddily. good d -- gidly. >> we have a new poll out there that was released this morning which it shows that race in ohio

is considerably tightened now if we look at the number was mr. santorum leading mitt romney bin only two percentage points. if you don't winnow owe, hogue pan, how much steam do you have left? >> well, we have a lot of steam. i mean, we said are the get-go this is a marathon, not a sprint. we wanted to respect the process. we still -- which started of course in iowa and went on to new hampshire and south carolina. then we had the big three-win night in missouri and minnesota and colorado. and then we are on to super tuesday. there is a -- you know, many more states after that where we are going to do very well as well. lot of southern states we have leads in already. so -- you know, this -- we have never been focused on one single poll or one single state's result. this has been about getting enough delegates to win that nomination. that's when we have been focus order and going to continue to focus on. of course, ohio is important. super tuesday is very important for this process. we are fweg to do well on super tuesday and then move on and keep going after that. >> okay. let's talk about what happened last week.

you know mr. santorum sparked controversy when he spoke about college education and president obama. and here is what he said. >> president obama once said he wants everybody in america to go to college. what a snob. >> few more criticism comments when he was talking about separation there of church and state and his take on president john kennedy's position. let's take a listen to that. >> kennedy important first time articulate ad vision saying no, faith is not i loued in the public square. people of faith have no -- >> okay, do you wish he 00 said those comments, either altogether or in that way? were they misstatements? were they -- something you wish he had not shared? >> no, i mean, ever since that he has been -- he has been asked that question himself many times and made the comment that maybe those weren't the best words. he is a passionate individual

who cares greatably this country. and the overarching theme of both of the comments were that freedom is being taken away in this country. that's why he is running for president. and, you know, the press wants to say he does want people to go to college or has some weird views on these issues. it is not. bottom line is he's out there talking about the president saying everybody should go to college. and it is not the president's business. i mean, we want to make the environment available or -- conducive to go to cole fej that's what the person wants. but what rick santorum is saying is everybody is unique. everybody has their own ideas of where they should go and how they should be. and the government should get out of people as lives and out of people's way and that's what he has been talking about the whole way. >> do you think it may have hurt -- rick santorum with the catholic voters there in the state of michigan? do you worry about that for the state of ohio coming up?

>> not really. catholic voters aren't one issue voters. they look at a wide range of issues. santorum talks about a wide range of issues. the press focuses on one or two things as it relates to religion or john kennedy and don't focus on the rest of the message which is a freedom message which, of course, is a smaller limited government message and lower taxes. that's what he has been talking about. that's what he will continue to talk about as this process goes on. i mean, you know, that's what this campaign is about. and that's what he has been focused on and what we will continue to take directly to the american people as this continues. look, i mean, he is polls change every day. the polls mean -- i mean, they go up and go down. and -- you know, resonates with people. that's the difference. i think the bottom line is here -- you know this better than most. politics is -- so simply -- can be put simply that -- you know, do i know you? do i trust you and like you?

at this point it is pretty obvious that rick santorum's message is one that -- people are resonating towards and they have seen rick on the stump and seen him on the debates and realize they know him at this point. and they feel like they can trust him and they like him and it does not mean they agree with him on every issue but means they know they have someone that has a history of fighting for them and has a history of -- person who can relate to them. that's very, very more. >> but you have got to look at the polls, simply as a guideline and obviously then don't make a hill of beans difference until you go into the voting booth. if you look at where he was two weeks ago in the -- national poll there from gallup, he was up by ten points. now he's behind mitt romney by 14 points. what's going on? >> i mean, just today there was a poll that came out that had rick santorum doing better against barack obama than any other rest of the field. mitt romney is down five points, i believe, to president obama. and these polls inevitably tighten as you move into the states. i mean, with all the money and negative ads spent, the

establishment candidate is mitt romney and has the establishment money and has the establishment backers. he's outspending six to ten in early states. trouncing us with negative, horrible advertising. never saying how he could be a good president. i have more honey and more in a infrastructure. that's not an inspiring message. we immediate somebody that can rally this country and polls show that's what people want. after six years of running for president romney can't seal the deal. i think their campaigns have a little bit of trouble at this point. when you spend that much money in your home state of michigan, and you have -- every establishment person in this state, you just did this three years ago, and you -- won the state by just a couple of percentage points over rick santorum who spent a fraction of the cost is a virtual unknown in the state, that says a lot about where we are in this campaign. basically -- as you know we talked about this on the stump as well that we need two things

to beat barack obama. energized base and we need to pull a reagan democrats. it is clear after running for president so many years mitt romney cannot do either hogan, i'm glad you sprint time with us. you have a busy 48 hours ahead considering what's happening tuesday. thank you. >> i do. thank you. god bless. still ahead, today's fice politics. dan rather talks candidly about the presidents he covered during his long storied career. is th? i don't want a plunger anywhere near my coffee. not in my house. with maxwell house french roast, you let gravity do the work. [ male announcer ] maxwell house french roast. always good to the last drop. but last year my daughter was checking up on me. i wasn't eating well. she's a dietitian, and she suggested i try boost complete nutritional drink to help get the nutrition i was missing. now i drink it every day and i love the great taste. [ female announcer ] boost has 26 essential vitamins and minerals, including calcium and vitamin d to help keep bones strong and 10 grams of protein to help maintain muscle.

and our great taste is guaranteed or your money back. learn more at boost.com. [ dad ] i choose great taste. i choose boost. the calcium they take because they don't take it with food. switch h to citracal maximum plus d. it's the only calcium supplement that can be taken with or without food. that's why my doctor recommends citracal maximum. it's all about absorption.

spark card from capital one. spark cash gives me the most rewards of any small business credit card.

it's hard for my crew to keep up with 2% cash back on every purchase, every day. 2% cash back. that's setting the bar pretty high. thanks to spark, owning my own business has never been more rewarding. [ male announcer ] introducing spark the small business credit cards from capital one. get more by choosing unlimited double miles or 2% cash back on every purchase, every day. what's in your wallet? this guy's amazing. we are taking you to the nation's midsection where crews are picking up after a massive tornado outbreak. 37 people died from the violent storms and this home video gives us our first look at one of the tornadoes that's destroyed parts of southern indiana. we are glad to have the weather channel's jim cantore on the ground for news henryville, indiana. jim? >> reporter: scenes like this all over henryville. for that matter all over southern indiana, northern kentucky, southern ohio today. many other states. 12 again with tornado reports. scott, gentleman that means the

house, they are trying to get debris out of the driveway here. they actually have to have the car cleared for the insurance ajuster to be able to see his car amazingly enough. they are trying to get a lot of the stuff out of the way. let me take to you the home. this is an amazing situation here. we have got a home where the roof was ripped off here and there was really no safe haven except for one place. let me show you. the closet. people, you know, last minute want to take refuge and the closet would have been the safe place here. no guarantee. this could have just as easily come through here. as it is sitting out in through here. the good news is the homeowner and his family left three to four minutes before the tornado. they are all safe and that's the bottom line. scenes looib like this, that's what we are finding across southern indiana and northern kentucky ask southern ohio and nine other states that dealt with vicious storms. back to you. >> all right, jim cantore. thanks for that. you can track severe weather any time on the weather channel as well as on weather.com. let's go to politics. mitt romney picked up a major

endorsement with the backing of this man, eric cantor. he announced his support on "meet the press." joining us is sean spires, communications director for the republican national committee. good day to you. >> good afternoon. >> what's eric cantor's endorsement mean important the romney campaign? >> well, i think each one of these candidates is going out and seeking endorsements and supports each of the states that are coming up on super tuesday, virginia is obviously part of that on super tuesday. i think it may help him in virginia. and we will see where else it -- whether that transcends to other states. i think you can't look at any one endorsement and say well, that's going to -- make a huge difference here or there. i think obviously leader kantor is a very important person in the movement. it is a good sign for governor romney but each of these candidates is out there getting endorsements from folks, you know, both at the state and local levels. i don't think that -- i'm going to pass judgment on one particular endorsement. >> here's one thing that you wrote about in your weekly memo.

here is the quote. one of the four current republican candidates will be the nominee. our party will unite 100% ruined them. couple of questions considering the primary season where the candidates all attacked each other and conservative credentials, how legitimate will that unity be and are you absolutely certain there will be no brokered convention? no dark horse that comes in, lot of people speculated recently. >> okay. well, to say that i can be absolutely certain would be just not true. but i can say that there is no one that you know of that has any intention to get in and if there were someone that we are looking to get in would be virtually impossible. actually it is actually impossible for them to get the 1140 necessary to get the number of delegates to win the nomination. and -- so i do think that it is -- extremely far-fetched at best. that being said, to the -- first part of your question, one of the things that we are seeing, two key things we are seeing in the polling. one is the enthusiasm gap on the republican side. and it is higher than it was in 2008. and it is higher than it is on

the democratic side. meaning the republican because is fired up and ready to go. it is motivated. the second thing that's interesting is within all of the four candidates, lot of times when you see -- ask them who their first choice is, they give it to you and then you say who is their second choice, a lot of times -- it is within the force. lot of folks who are going out and voting may have a first choice. but they are also willing to look at any of the others if that person were to become our nominee. i'm almost 100% certain that one of these four will be our candidate and they will go on and win in november. >> okay. let's talk about -- the timing of things really quickly. all the social issues that have dominated the news of later have us is economic issues, how will the gop nominee attract that moderate group of voters away from president obama if those social issues remain at the forefront? >> well, i would disagree with the premise. we are talking a lot about -- economic issues and every one of those candidates that i just mentioned is out there talking about the economy. and jobs first and foremost.

talking about debt and deficit. i think a lot of times what happens is actually the comment you are referring to on social issues is largely not even driven by any of the candidates. it has been driven by rush limbaugh and others. so -- you know, not hearing our candidates focus on those 100%, mine, i think all would agree that the economy and jobs is the number one issue. rising gas prices and the lack of an energy policy by this administration. and the increased debt and deficit by this administration so i think that you are seeing and will see more of a focus on issues that impact every american going forward. >> okay. from the rnc sean spicer. good to talk to you. thanks. >> have a great week. in this week's office politics we talked with legendary journalist dan rather. he tells us how being a texan shaped his life and career. we begin with his presidential interviews dating back more an half a century. >> president eisenhower was --

fascinating, running a very large organization. his approach to the presidency was more a commander in chief, not just military sense, but i will make the big decisions and i will leave the small decisions to people i have chosen under me. and -- we will work it that way. president kennedy came into office with a whole different view. wanted to know details and be involved in everything from appointments to fairly small positions and president johnson probably the best president the country ever had. knowing where the levers of -- levers of power in washington were. thousand manipulate the levers of power. president nixon, the tragedy among the tragedies of the nixon presidency is that president nixon came to the presidency perhaps as -- as well equipped and well experienced as somebody that had been in world war ii

and he had been a congressman and senator. he had been a vice president. and was smart. but for whatever reason, within him was this rage. not just to defeat his opponent but to destroy him. at any rate, what happened to the nixon presidency, crashed and burned as no other presidency in our history has done. >> do you think the nation wanted to see president nixon behind bars? >> i think the nation as a whole wanted and -- i won't -- should have wanted accountability. i have never bought the idea it was best important the country. president ford was -- he had his -- as even a personality -- most even personality of any of the presidents that i have covered. my own personal opinion, he made a mistake in pardoning president nixon. jimmy carter, in my book of presidents, i have covered, if you gave him an s.a.t. test, the

kind the kids have in school, gave him an i.q. test, carter might score the highest of any of them. >> really? >> well, partly because he was very good in mathematics and physics. jimmy carter would never have been elected if the nixon presidency hadn't resulted in this widespread criminal conspiracy being exposed. president reagan, who in -- in many ways is still underestimated, the idea he was some kind of, quote, fairly dumb actor, i think has long since been put to bed. president reagan was -- he was intuitive about people. he was intuitive about how to communicate with people. i view jordan h.w. bush's presidency as the third reagan term. i thought he would win the 1992 election. i still think he would have had ross perot not gotten into the race. president clinton, again, a case of -- great potential for

historic presidency with president clinton. by anybody's standards, brillia brilliant, had as good a feel for campaigning, bill clinton is one of the all-time best campaigners bar none. i will say this about the -- george w. bush presidency. in shifting the focus from afghanistan, shifting the focus from we are going to get osama bin laden, we are going to do away with the taliban, shifting from afghanistan to iraq, precisely the wrong moment, strategic mistake, historic consequence. >> do you get nervous when you are going to interview a president? >> yes. any time -- you know, as you get more experience, less nervous. if i don't get a little bit nervous before a big interview, covering something like election night or 9/11, then i know it is

time to hang them up. >> you talk about that texas thing. and -- you are so texan. that just emanates from you. how texan are you? >> i have never apologized for being texan. i'm proud of it. texas-born and texas-bred. when i die i will be texas dead. >> you can watch dan rather reports on hd net. in a moment the rush limbaugh apology. is the uproar over? we are going to talk about that ahead in today's big three.

[ woman speaking indistinctly over radio ] home protector plus from liberty mutual insurance... [ alarm blaring ] where the cost to repair your home, replace what's inside, and stay somewhere else if you need to are covered. because you never know what lies around the corner. to learn more, visit libertymutual.com today.

[ female announcer ] introducing new nature valley protein bars. 100% natural ingredients like roasted peanuts... ♪ ...creamy peanut butter, and a rich dark chocolate flavor. plus, 10 grams of great tasting protein in every bar. so it's energy straight from nature to you. new nature valley protein bars. find them in the granola bar aisle. it is time for big lee. rush apology, two days to super tuesday. martin frost, real clear politics reporter aaron mcpipe. msnbc contributor robert trainam. robert, you are first. we have rush limbaugh's apology, issued this statement on his website. my choice of words was not the best. and in the attempt to be humorous i created a national

stir. i sincerely apologize to miss fluke for the insulting word choices. this whole birth control issue, robert, how much has it caused the gop candidates overall? what price? >> i think it is a significant price. the reason why is because it really does infewer wrat the base. meaning democratic side. gives them all the more reason why you know what, the right is not speaking to me. she should be talking about the economy and process talking about my personal life. although t reason i should vote for president obama. what rush limbaugh did, unfortunately, was to create national furor that probably is going to hurt the gop in the lo long run. >> let's talk about the two leading candidates, gop' ers responded. first of all romney saying i will just say this, it is not the language that i would have used and we know it is not exactly condemnationful santorum's delivery may have been -- he was basically saying the guy is an entertaine eernte.

talk about this. >> well, rick santorum is not the first to say that rush limbaugh is an entertainer. lots of republicans have said that because he's not particularly helpful and especially with women. i went to a democratic fund-raiser in columbus with debbie wasserman schultz. they were all jumping on this and saying the republicans have had now a war on women. and i think that -- with rush limb you about's apology, it just shows that he knows that that was -- not very helpful to the republicans and democrats really are going to make a big issue of this because already we have seen women and the polling that shows women are moving very quickly away from republicans and, again, towards the president in a major way. >> do you agree, martin, are democrats going to keep reminding voters of this in november? or won't it have any legs? >> i think it will have some legs. particularly speaking to women about issues important to them. the business with rush that ar

to them. the business with rush limbaugh, that will fade into the past. he should have more clearly apologized. but that's over. that's over and done with. but there's lasting harm to the republicans, i believe, on what they have done on kopbt seplgz. 90% of women or more in this country use contraception. it means they're out of touch. it will be the dominant issue in the campaign. the economy still will be. it doesn't help the republicans at all going forward. >> as you look ahead to super tuesday, what will the democrats be able to take away from that in general but specifically in places like ohio? >> if the results turn out the way they look like they will right now, that ohio is a duplicate of michigan, that what happens now is romney wins it narrowly, with rich voters, upper income voters, over 100,000, older voters, and he loses everybody else.

that means he's very vulnerable among blue collar which are vulnerable in the midwest. let's look at the cross tabs, the interviews. we're going to find the same thing, more wealthy voters will carry romney in this race. >> our friend robert is not agreeing because she's shaking his head. >> i slightly disagree. specifically in michigan, tennessee, and ohio, when you identify as a strong, strong republican or strong conservative, you obviously don't vote for mitt romney. if you're not a tea partier, you obviously vote for romney. we saw it in michigan. it will be very interesting to see if we see that on super tuesday with the other 10 states. it reinforces that romney is horrible primary candidate. >> all right you guys. next up -- >> not true. if he loses those voters people

in their 40s who are blue collar workers he can't be elected in the fall. next up, sarah palin firing back. and erin will get first crack at that after break. nice ring. knock it off. ignore him. with the capital one venture card you earn... double miles on every purchase. [ sharon ] 3d is so real larry. i'm right here larry. if you're not earning double miles... you're settling for half. really? a plaid tie? what, are we in prep school? [ male announcer ] get the venture card at capitalone.com and earn double miles on every purchase every day. what's in your wallet? i was gonna say that. uh huh... ♪ feel the power my young friend. mmm! [ male announcer ] for excellent fruit and veggie nutrition... v8 v-fusion, also refreshing plus tea. could've had a v8. the calcium they take because they don't take it with food. switch to citracal maximum plus d.

it's the only calcium supplement that can be taken with or without food. that's why my doctor recommends citracal maximum. it's all about absorption. chocolate lemonade ? susie's lemonade... the movie. or... we make it pink ! with these 4g lte tablets, you can do business at lightning-fast speeds. we'll take all the strawberries, dave. you got it, kid. we have a winner. we're definitely gonna need another one. small businesses that want to grow use 4g lte technology from verizon. i wonder how she does it. that's why she's the boss. because the small business with the best technology rules. contact the verizon center for customers with disabilities at 1-800-974-6006.

this is sarah. well, i'm not a member of the permanent political establishment. >> a feisty, strong. >> sarah palin heading back. it's part of new video she has released in response to the upcoming movie "game change." bringing back by big three now. erin, i said you would be up first. who do you think is going to have the final say when it comes to this particular chapter of history? >> well, sarah palin makes it part of her brand to go after the media. so this is just her trying to reconnect with supporters and getting the attention she's used to getting. she hasn't been a factor in this

primary. she didn't give a full endorsement to newt gingrich. this is her just trying to get back into the dialogue i think. 2008 is in the past. we're now in the 2012 presidential election. so she doesn't matter as much anymore. >> robert, you next. >> i think she likes it. i think she likes being in the limelight again. she hasn't been relevant in the primary. so hbo makes her relevant all over again. >> martin in. >> she gets to get more paid speeches, write more books and make more money. more power to her. >> okay, guys, thank you so much for joining me. robert, erin, martin, appreciate your time on "weekends with alex whitt." that's it. up next, "meet the press". have yourself a great day. david gregory, his guest will be newt gingrich. we'll see next week. have a good weekend.

today is gonna be an important day for us. you ready? we wanna be our brother's keeper. what's number two we wanna do? bring it up to 90 decatherms. how bout ya, joe? let's go ahead and bring it online. attention on site, attention on site. now starting unit nine. some of the world's cleanest gas turbines are now powering some of america's biggest cities. siemens. answers.

why does my mouth feel dryer than i remember it to be? there are more people taking more medication, so we see people suffering from dry mouth more so. we may see more cavities, bad breath, oral irritation. a dry mouth sufferer doesn't have to suffer. i would recommend biotene. the enzymes in biotene products help supplement enzymes that are naturally in saliva. biotene helps moisten those areas that have become dry. those that are suffering can certainly benefit from biotene.

achoo! [ male announcer ] but when she used tissues, she went crazy wild. tissue after tissue, she always took a ton. until mom explained with puffs ultra soft & strong, you only need one. two times stronger than the leading value brand, they always win this test. soft non-lotion pillows, they're sure to impress. now the tissue monster had gone away, and puffs ultra soft & strong saved the day. a nose in need deserves puffs ultra soft & strong indeed. for those who prefer lotion, try puffs plus lotion.